"There are precious few opportunities to enjoy a frosty beverage while slipping into the transcendental time warp of a classical Indian raga — which makes the Brooklyn Raga Massive's peripatetic Wednesday night events kind of like the Alamo Drafthouse of Indian classical music.

"like-minded musicians started BRM to provide an umbrella platform for an on-going musical dialogue that reflects the ever-growing landscape of America... By continuing the dialogue of the importance of art and community in today’s political climate.

Organizations like the Brooklyn Raga Massive are doing exactly that. They’re combating hate by promoting a sense of inclusion, community and providing a safe haven"

"The idea of the Massive was not only to encourage dialogue between established and young musicians, but also to broaden the audience for these forms in hyper-cosmopolitan New York.... They’ve collaborated with Africans and Cubans, and presented tributes to musicians such as John Coltrane and Ravi Shankar, the believers in cross-cultural experimentation. The interaction between the artists and audience is organic.

"Some of the formalities often associated with an Indian classical concert have been stripped away by organizers... more like a house concert, not the usual rarified formal atmosphere created for classical performances in India... so there is room to be social as well as have a serious listening environment"

"In New York, we’re going to Brooklyn Raga Massive classes. It’s classical Indian music with a Brooklyn twist... We’re trying to make sure (our son) understands he’s half-Indian... What I’m interested in seeing is how those expressions of Indian culture have evolved over time."

"The music itself is the result of a grassroots movement... known as the Brooklyn Raga Massive... Having brought about a revitalisation of the ragas, it would be safe to call them the Raga Ambassadors of the Big Apple."

“It’s a big thing for us to present an ever increasing range of artists who are stretching the boundaries of music,” said Kenny Savelson, the executive director of Bang on a Can. “This group of artist based here are taking Indian tradition and they’ve basically been pushing forward into new territory.”

"Our jam session format has been an incubator for collaboration, and created a vibrant community of musicians and audiences from all over the world," says violinist Ramamurthy, taking pride that the members have their roots in various traditions ranging from Malian music to jazz.